Man guilty of sexually assaulting 9-year-old girl

Posted on 11/03/2017

GREELEY, Colo. (Weld County D.A.) – A Greeley man accused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl in July 2016 was found guilty last week by a Weld County jury.

Late Friday evening, jurors convicted Joseph Covington, 34, of sexual assault on a child, second-degree kidnapping and enticement of a child. He faces 8 years to life in prison since sexual assault and enticement of a child carry indeterminate sentences.

According to the affidavit and court testimony, the 9-year-old girl went to the Covington home at the Homestead Apartments in Greeley on July 17, 2016 to play with his children. The victim said Covington invited her inside the apartment, locked the door behind her and sexually assaulted her for more than an hour and a half.

Covington claimed at trial that the girl and her mother made the story up to get back at him and his wife for not babysitting. Covington’s saliva, however, was found on the girl’s underwear and body parts, according to DNA testing.

“On July 17, 2016, the defendant did the unimaginable to a 9-year-old child,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Thea Carrasco during Friday’s closing arguments. “The innocent life of a 9-year-old child got wrapped up in this horrific tragedy, and she has to live with this for the rest of her life.”